Published 1:00 am, Tuesday, March 31, 2009

"I got fed up to a certain extent with the college education process and (was) a little adverse to going directly to college ... so I decided I'm going to do something different," Newton-Tanzer said.
After graduating from
Newtown High School
in 2007, he went to Beijing and enrolled in a study abroad program, which turned out to be a flop.
Instead of taking the first flight back to the U.S., he stayed, learned Mandarin Chinese, made a lot of Chinese friends and landed a job at an international law firm.
When he got to Columbia University, the 19-year-old founded the Global China Connection, which he registered as an international organization.
The student group, which Newton-Tanzer began with

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, a friend he made in China, is devoted to building connections between China and the rest of the world.
Through friends and acquaintances at other top universities, the group grew. There now 30 established chapters of the Global China Connection in the U.S., China and Canada working to promote awareness, exchange information and language skills, and create events that promote community engagement and philanthropy.
"We try to eliminate stereotypes that are sometimes thrown out about China and Asia, and we try to get people to focus on a human level, to focus on the Chinese people, instead of relying on preconceived notions," said
Aaron Kiersh
, a freshman at Columbia, who is communications director for the Global China Connection.
In addition to hosting local events on their campuses, members of the group help students who study in China by connecting them with their Chinese friends, who will show them around and help them get a cell phone and other necessities.
Newton-Tanzer said he didn't want other students to relive his experiences. "I experienced extraordinary culture shock -- not what was advertised online through the program."
Global China Connection "allows us all to learn, to figure out as much as we can about the world, ourselves and those around us. Through this international network of friends, everything becomes better -- no matter what it is we decide to pursue."
The Global China Connection will have an April 25 conference at Columbia University called "A Glimpse of China's Future."
The all-day program includes a series of keynote speakers, topical panels and networking events, all led by people from industry, government and academia who have intimate experience with China.